Have a Break, Take a Deep Breath to Help You Literally Get Through Life

Sometimes you just have to stop. Take a deep breath. Use a moment to notice how your body feels. Do you find yourself relaxed and at peace? It’s something we rarely noticed despite breathing 23 040 times a day on average. Then again, maybe we should.

We breath the way we feel. Remember how your breath quickens every time you are preparing to go up stage for your public speaking, or when you are in midst of anger. Similarly, controlling the way we breathe can help shape our moods and body reactions.

This is because the group of nerves that regulate breathing has a direct connection to the brain’s arousal center causing a direct effect on the overall activity level of our brain, influencing our mood.

Taking a deep breath, for example will send the message to calm down and relax. While rapid breathing can make your heart beat faster or more fidgety.

In a way, breathing when done deliberately and consciously, not only brings an immediate change to your mood. The benefits of breathing exercises are even more effective in the long run. There are various health benefits but to be exact, here are 5 belly breathing benefits.

1. Deep Breathing For Relaxation

An obvious benefit of deep breathing is that this breathing technique can help us relax. As a matter of fact, it is the fastest way to calm down. There’s a reason why – deep breathing has been shown to calm excitatory neurotransmitters which cause stress, and in doing so quiet the mind and enable you to find a sense of centeredness and control.

Our senses are constantly bombarded with stimulus throughout the day, so taking time to do a deep belly breathing can really help us relax and focus on our natural internal processes to help reset our mind and extricate ourselves from the pressure we face during the day.

In fact, belly breathing relaxation techniques are an ideal habit to get into at bedtime. By simply focusing on this simple exercise, it can help clear the mind of other pressures and oxygenate the body for a deeper, more restful sleep.

Deep breathing has been shown to calm excitation neurotransmitters which cause stress, and in so doing, quiet the mind and enable you to find a sense of control. Our senses are constantly bombarded with stimulus throughout the day, so taking time to focus on a natural internal process can help to reset your perspective and extricate you from the web of pressures you face during your day.

Besides, when we are stressed, our breathing suffers. When we get angry, we talk about being ‘blue in the face’ because our breathing systems aren’t working properly. It stands to reason that prioritizing breathing will therefore flush out anger and frustration, as the two work in opposition to each other.

Stress reduces the body’s ability to repair itself, and chronic stress over long period of time can cause damage to the skin that cannot be repaired, which contributes to premature aging.

2. Deep Breathing For Weight Loss

It’s not a joke. Deep breathing can really help you lose weight. The breathing technique is found to help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent the crash of tiredness that often comes after a meal. So taking a deep breath means it will make us less likely to seek out sugary foods to boost our energy or succumb and take a nap after a meal which can add a few pound to the scale.

Besides, deep breathing can increase blood flow to the digestive systems, including the stomach and large intestines which will help us better digest our food. This is achieved because deep breathing helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which prioritizes the function of our organs over those of our muscles, removing the fight or flight response that can cause digestive disturbances. An added bonus is that, it will make us less likely to stress eat.

3. Deep Breathing For Detoxification

Detoxification is a process the body is naturally undertaking at all times, and it is the most important process in reducing visible signs of aging.

One of the most toxic chemicals in the body is the byproduct of our cells converting oxygen into energy – carbon dioxide. When we breath in a shallow fashion, we do not rid our body of this carbon dioxide as efficiently as we can.

Deep breathing helps us maximize the amount of carbon dioxide we remove, which reduces the build-up lactic acid in our muscles and helps us function better with fewer aches and pains. What’s more, it helps to stimulate the lymphatic system, which helps to cleanse toxins and fight infections.

Finally, deep breathing can help regulate the pH level of the body, helping to preserve its natural alkaline state by ridding the body of excess acids. When carbon dioxide is added to water, it creates carbonic acid – preventing this process helps the body stay naturally in balance. Preserving this balance will of course limit the damage that prematurely ages skin cells.

4. Deep Breathing For Pain Relief

There are a great many studies into the function of deep breathing while experiencing pain and discomfort. The number one thing mothers are told when delivering babies is to control and focus on their breathing.

This is because deep breathing triggers the release of endorphins into the brain, while increasing blood flow to the brain and encouraging the release of more energy, helping the body to better cope with and fight pain.

What’s more, by focusing on breathing, individuals are given a form of distraction that can take their focus away from the source of the pain and toward a different process. Studies using cold pressers – swirling buckets of ice water – found that people could keep their hand in the water for longer when using deep breathing than when breathing normally.

Pain most often causes us to wince, screw our faces up and tense – all of these contribute to the appearance of crow’s feet, fine lines and wrinkles. By better managing our pain, we help put less of our mileage into our faces.

5. Deep Breathing For Happiness

We have saved the best for last. Deep breathing will make you happier, and not just because you’ll look younger, feel less pain, be more relaxed and lose weight.

Deep breathing increases blood flow, which increases blood flow to the brain, which improves cognitive function, which makes you better able to deal with the challenges in your day. The endorphins released will reward you for doing so, and make you feel better. You will also begin to experience a sense of connectedness between your mind and body, which will make you feel great.

The Key Takeaway

So the next time when you are taking a breather, try doing deep breathing exercises and reap the benefits of this mindful breathing technique. Are there any belly breathing benefits that were missed out from the article? Do leave them down at the comments below.